KING FEATURES SYNDICATE AND AAA JOIN FORCES AGAIN IN CAMPAIGN AGAINST DISTRACTED DRIVING

Popular Comic Strip Zits to Help Raise Awareness of the Dangers of Distracted Driving Through an Array of AAA Resources

NEW YORK & ORLANDO, Fla., October 4, 2013 – Leading comics syndicate King Features Syndicate and AAA, North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, have come together again as promotional partners, this time in an effort to help stop one of the most dangerous practices currently committed by drivers of any age: driving while distracted.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that taking your eyes off the road for more than two seconds doubles your risk of a crash. Countless distracting activities, including those that are mental, physical or cognitive, divert a driver’s attention, putting not only themselves at risk, but everyone else using the road

To help raise awareness and educate drivers of all ages on this serious issue affecting millions, King Features and AAA have partnered on using one of today’s most popular comic strips, Zits in new driver education literature. Co-creators Jim Borgman and Jerry Scott have put a humorous twist on a serious subject in a full-color Sunday comic strip slated to appear on October 6 in print and online news outlets nationwide. In it, the strip’s star, 16-year-old Jeremy Duncan, arrives at his destination minus his beloved VW van because he is beset by myriad distractions.

The Zits comic strip appears in more than 1,600 print and online news outlets and has millions of daily readers around the world.

King Features and Zits’ association with AAA began in 2010 when then-15-year-old Jeremy turned 16, began lobbying his parents and, after much mayhem, finally got his driver’s license. Borgman and Scott created a special Zits series that dovetailed perfectly with AAA’s efforts to help families get through the crucial period when teens are learning to drive. In 2011, King Features and Zits again partnered with AAA in a national awareness campaign when Borgman and Scott created a special week-long series which found Jeremy at the center of a car crash involving texting. An array of Zits comic strips have been prominently featured throughout the duration of the educational programs and a series of e-newsletters that focus on important topics related to teen driver safety and parent involvement, such as driving at night, conducting supervised driving, anti-texting while driving and distractions.

About Zits

Distributed by King Features to more than 1,600 print and online news outlets in 45 countries and 15 languages, Zits features the daily adventures of the quintessential teenager With his loving parents, Walt and Connie Duncan, his best friend, Hector, and his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Sara Toomey, by his side, the perpetually slouching and disheveled Jeremy treads the murky waters of adolescence in oversized sneakers. Zits is the brainchild of Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Jim Borgman, and award-winning cartoonist-writer Jerry Scott, who also co-creates the popular “Baby Blues” strip. Zits established itself early when it launched in July 1997 in more than 200 newspapers – one of the largest start-ups in comics history. Visit the official Web site at ZitsComics.com

About King Features Syndicate

King Features Syndicate is a member of Hearst Entertainment and Syndication Group, which combines Hearst Corporation’s cable network partnerships, television programming activities, and newspaper syndication and merchandise licensing operations. King Features is the world’s premier distributor of comics, columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games, distributing in print and online some 150 features to nearly 5,000 newspapers and other outlets around the globe. It is one of the largest and most experienced organizations in merchandise licensing and entertainment. It represents some of the most recognizable global brands, including Betty Boop, Popeye the Sailor Man, Olive Oyl and Romero Britto. For more information, please visit http://www.kingfeatures.com.

About AAA

As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 52 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.